Door closer



w. J. KEENE DOOR CLOSER Dec. 14, 1937.

Filed July 18, 1956 Patented Dec. 14, 1937 I UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE DOOR CLOSER William J. Keene, Chicago, 111., assignor to Chicago Spring Hinge Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application July 18, 1936, Serial No. 91,272

Claims. (01. 16-76) The present invention relates generally to deported upon a U-shaped bracket 9 which is bolted Vices for accomplishing the automatic closing of or otherwise secured to the door 2. doors such as the doors for cold storage rooms, The biasing spring assemblage 3 includes a cast refrigerators, and the like. upper or main frame H which is provided with 5 The principal objects of the invention are to three projecting frame parts or brackets l2, l3,

provide an improved door closer which shall be and I4, cast integral therewith in spaced relaof a simpler and more rugged design than the tion. Coaxial cylindric bearing Openings, structures heretofore known to the art and I6, and I1, extend through these brackets for which shall have a much longer satisfactory 013- he purp e of s pp r a short haft 8 wh h 10 crating life than those prior art structures; to i p e With three Suitable bearing p n 10 provide an improved type of adjustable connec- 5, 5, a d for engaging p ively the tion for use intermediate the door closer arm and bearing Openings l5, l6, and I1. A suitable biasthe actuating spring therefor; to provide an iming spring 9 is r ly connected t n n to proved, simplified structure for rendering the a stub projection 26 integral with the shaft I8, dour closer inoperative when desired; and genand at its other end to another cast frame 2!, 15 erally to provide an improved door clo r, as illustrated in Figure 2. A cylindrical tube 24,

These and other objects of the invention will p e y of metal, ds between the upper be made more apparent in the accompanying and lower frames It and 2! and serves to endrawing and the following description of a pre- Close the biasing Spring e t b 24 y e 20 ferred embodiment of the invention. In the secured to the pp a d wer frames by suit- 20 drawing-- able means such as set screws as indicated in the Figure 1 is a fragmetary view illustrating the drawingfeatures of a door closer in accordance with the Interme ate t e tW bearing portions and present invention in use upon the door of a cold of the Shaft la, the Shaft is p d with a Storage chamber or t k hexagonal section 22 which is adapted to non-ro- 25 Figure 2 is an enlarged elevational view, parrtatebly fit in the hexagonal Ope 1 in the hub tially in section, of the door closer illustrated in of the 910591 The hexagonal section 2 has Figure 1; a length approximately equal to one-half the Figure 3 is a side elevational view, partiallyin distance between the lower bracket and the section, of the door closer illustrated in Figures centml bracket It, and above e hexagonal e r v 1 and 2; tion 22 there is a rounded section 23 having a Figure 4 i a ti l View on t genera] line cross sectional area substantially less than the 4- 4 of Figure 2 cross sectional area of the hexagonal section 22. Figure 5 i a sectional i on t general line As indicated in the drawing, the diameter of the 5-5 of Figure 2; and rounded shaft section 231s no greater than the 35 Figure 6 is a plan View f the locking collar diameter of the hexagonal section across its forming a part of the door closer illustrated in flats and it is preferably Slightly less thanthe the the 'fig r of the drawing latter. Around the portion 23 of the shaft there Reduced to its simplest elements, the door i disposed more or less U'shaped locking 40 closer of the present invention includes a hori lar 25, the details of which are illustrated par- 40 zontally extending closer arm l which is adapted mcularly m Flgures 3 and The collar 25 is deto bear against the door 2 with which the device signed to be readily positioned about section 23 is used and a Spring assemblage 3 for biasing of the shaft I8 or removed therefrom, and when the closer arm in the proper direction. The closer the collar 23 1s removed the hub portlon 6 of arm I of he device illustrated in the drawin closer arm I may be moved upwardly to be msb l g engaged from the hexagonal section 22 of the Includes a ma1n bdY porno 4 Wh1ch shaft, thereby making possible the convenient prefe comprlses s sultable length of metal adjustment of the relative position of the closer bar or rod and a me head Portion 5 to which arm I and the shaft [8. The locking collar 25 the inner end of the arm portion 4 is securely is provided with an upstanding car 21 which fits 50 attached, for example by being secured thereto into a suitable recess 28 in the intermediate as clearly shown in Fig. The head portion 5 bracket l3 and is preferably held in this position terminates in a hub 5 having a hexagonal openby a screw 29 or the like. 7 ing 1 formed therein. The outer end of the closer The-portion of the shaft [8 which extends be- ,55 arm I preferably rests against a roller 8 suptween the intermediate bracket I3 and the upper bracket I4 is machined square so as to non-rotatably fit in a correspondingly shaped opening provided in a ratchet wheel 3| having suitable notches 32 formed at spaced intervals therein; A pawl 33'pivoted between the'brackets 13 and i4 co operates with the ratchet wheel 3| to hold the shaft 18 and with it the closer arm I inpredetermined position against the tendency of the biasing spring) to rotate those'elements in the is positioned on the hexagonal portion 22 of the short shaft so that the arm or rod 4 is disposed substantially parallel with the outside of the doorZ approaching its normal operative relation thereto as indicated in Figure 4. The arm is then swung outwardly or forwardly in the direction in which it moves when the door is opened, thereby winding up or applying tension to the spring;

The arm'may be swung to an angle of approximatelly G O degrees open or anyother position reduiredto obtain thegnecessary spring tension. When the desired tension is obtained, the locking pawl 33 is moved into locking engagement with the ratchet 3! to lock theshaft and arm against disengaged from thehexagonal shaft portion (the return movement under the influence of the spring "'Ihereupon the arm assembly 45' is collar 25 having previously been removed) and adjusted to a position on the rounded shaft portion 23"whereupon the arm may be swung inde pendently of the ratchet held shaft to its normal relation to the closed door. When the arm; is thus adjusted to its normal relation to the door, it is again adjusted tointer-engagement with the hexagonal shaft portion 22. The collar '25'may then'be replaced and thepawl disengaged from the ratchet'sothat the tension of the spring'will j cause'the arm to bear against the doorto hold it closed. It will of course be evident that any subsequent opening movement of the door will be resisted'by the tension of the spring I9, and when the dooris released the spring will close the door.

' When :the door is to; be temporarily held in openposition; it is merely necessary to open the door in the usualmanner and'then effect locking engagement of the pawl with the ratchet. As a 7 practical matter this may be done from the inside served that in thema'jority, if notfin' all cases,

: Venient to manipulate the pawl fromthe inside of th'e door as indicated; i

of the'door by passing the fingers of one hand through the 'spacebetween the edge of the door and the "adjacent door frame. It should be obs the axes of the door hinges are spaced materially from the inner edgeof the door frame as indicated in Figure 1 so that a material space is formed between the edge of the door'and'the door frame when the doo r is opened. Hence'it' is quite con- I 'When the door is to beagain closed, thepawr 33 may be dis ngaged'by merely'pushing 'the'door open to a slightly further extent with the result;

that the pawl is, in'eifect, cammed' out of its locking-engagement with the ratchet by the inter-em gagementof the'advancingedge of the ratchet tooth withthe angularly arranged or curbed inside edge of the pawl. The pawl is preferably so mounted that it has no inherent tendency to swing in either direction, but will remain in whatever position it is left in, either as a result of hand manipulation or automatic adjustment as just described. Furthermore, 'therpawl tooth is preferably' of such length and so shaped that the rocking. movement imparted to the arm in the closing movement direction will not tend to cam the pawl to inoperative positiombut will tend to more securely lock the pawl in its operative position. This action depends, of course, upon the relative angular arrangement of the outer edge of the pawl tooth and the corresponding face of the ratchet notch. v

- The described door closermay be used in connection with either right or left-hand doors without change in'the door closer structure. For a right-hand door such as illustrated in Figure l,

the device is mounted with the arm projecting toithe left of the body of the'device and from' its upper end. 'For a lefthand door the device is" mounted with its'arm projecting to the right of the body of the device and from its lower end; In other words; the device is merely inverted from the position shown in Figure 1 to adapt it for use in connection witha left-handdoor; It should be noted that regardless of which position the device is used in, the arm assembly 45 is adequately supported by adequate bearings. When mounted as shown in Figure l for a right-hand door, the arm is supported against downward movement by the upper surface of the bracket part l2. 'When the device is mounted in inverted position for use on a left -hand door, the arm assembly 4-5 is supported on the bracket arm part l3 through the agency of the fixed collar 25. Hence thearm'is adequately supported in either. position in which the device may be mounted sothat there'is no increased tendency in one position forthe arm assembly to' work loose and become disengaged from the spring actuated shaft l8.

The detachable connection between the arm portion 4 andthe head portion 5 is advantageous first in that it facilitates packaging of the device for shipping andstorage purposes and second in that it permits removal of the laterally extending arm portion 4 especially when it is desired to" render the door closerinoperativefor an extended 7 7 period of time during which it inay be desirable to open'and close the door without relying on the 7 device for effecting closing. Infsuch'a case the arm maybe swung to a org degree'lopen 1 position and there'locked by means of the pawl 33. The rod. 4 maythen be'unscrewe'd 'andlaid aside for replacement when desired. The removal of the arm portion 4 avoids a necessity of leaving the arm'in a projecting position under 7 certain when'it is desired to'make the door closer device With. the described arrangement.

inoperative.

infrequently occurring v circumstances the device maybe made inoperative without'let ting out or otherwise tinkering-withthe tension o-fthe spring I9; and the device may readily be restored to anfoperativecondition by merely replacing the arm and disengaging the pawl from; ,the ratchet? Thedescribed door closer is simple and i' g'ed in'constructiom. 'It embodies relatively few parts, allof which'may be manufactured without diflicult manufacturing operations: The rugged--' ness of thedevice is incident not only to the em-i, r

ployment of parts; and materials well adapted for;

their respective purposes, but also tothe partice mar-arrangement described, especially inresp'ect' of the location of the arm assembly 45 intermediate a pair of closely adjacent supporting brackets. The employment of a short stub-like shaft also-is of material importance both in respect ofruggedness of the device and in respect of the cost of construction thereof. In prior art devices where springs have usually been disposed aboutan extended shaft, considerable cost must be at tributed to the long shaft length required. A fur ther benefit from the described arrangement-is found in the fact that it is relatively easy to pro- I duce properly aligned bearing openings in closely adjacent bearing brackets such as required in this construction as distinguished from widely spaced bearing brackets required in the prior art constructions, especially where a long shaft is employed with a spring disposed about a portion thereof. Ease or smoothness of operation is also assured by reason of the fact that the bearing openings may be accurately aligned as indicated.

Changes in the described construction may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of which should be determined by reference to the following claims, the same being construed as broadly as possible consistent with the state of the art.

I claim the following as my invention:

1. In a device of the class described, a pair of spaced frame members, a tube extending between said frame members, a coil spring positioned within said tube and anchored at one of its ends to one of said frame members, the other of said frame members including a pair of spaced brackets integral therewith, a short shaft extending between and journaled upon said brackets, said short shaft being connected at one of its ends to the other end of said coil spring, and the portion of said short shaft which extends between said spaced brackets being divided into a flat sided section and a section of substantially less cross sectional area'than said flat sided section, a closer arm having a hub at one end thereof which is adapted to be disposed about and to lockingly engage said fiat sided section of said shaft, and a collar normally positioned about said reduced area section of said shaft, said collar locking said hub in place upon said fiat sided section of said shaft and being removable to permit said hub to be moved onto said reduced area section in which position adjustment may be made in the angular position of said closer arm on said short shaft.

2. In a device of the class described, a pair of vertically spaced frame members, a metallic tube extending between said frame members and affixed at each of its ends to one of said frame members, a coil spring positioned within said tube and anchored at one of its ends to the lower frame member, the upper frame member including a pair of spaced brackets integral therewith, a short shaft extending between and journaled upon said spaced brackets, said short shaft being connected at one of its ends to the other end of said coil spring and the portion of said short shaft which extends between said spaced brackets being divided into two dissimilar sections of substantially equal length, a closer am having a hub at one end thereof which may be disposed about either of said dissimilar sections of said shaft intermediate said brackets, said hub having a width substantially equal to the length of each of said dissimilar sections and when positioned about one of said dissimilar sections being adapted to lockingly engage said shaft, said hub and said shaft being independently movable when said hub is positioned about the other of said dissimilar sections, and a locking collar normally positioned about the last mentioned dissimilar section in order that said hub shall normally be locked to said shaft, said collar being removable to permit said hub to be moved to the other of said sections in which position adjustment may be made in the angular position of said closer arm on said shaft.

. 3. In a device of the class described, a pair of vertically spaced frame members, a relatively rigid metallic tube extending between said frame members and affixed at each of its ends to one of said frame members, a coil spring positioned within said tube and anchored at its lower end to the lower of said frame members, the upper frame member including a pair of spaced brackets integral therewith, a short shaft extending between and journaled upon said brackets, said short shaft having a stub projection at its lower end for engaging and connecting with the upper end of said coil spring, the portion of said short shaft which extends between said spaced brackets being divided into a flat sided section and a cylindrical section of reduced cross sectional area, a closer arm having a hub at one end thereof which is adapted to be positioned about and to lockingly engage said flat sided section, said flat sided section and said reduced section being of substantially equal length and the width of said hub being substantially equal to the length of said sections, a generally U-shaped collar which is normally positioned about said reduced area section and which holds said hub in place upon said flat sided section, said collar being removable to permit said hub to be moved to said reduced area section in which position adjustment may be made in the angular position of. said closer arm on said short shaft, and a ratcheting mechanism arranged at the upper end of said shaft for holding said arm in any desired position during the operation thereof.

4. In a device of the class described, a pair of relatively closely spaced brackets, a short shaft extending between and journaled upon said brackets, the portion of said shaft lying between said brackets having a polygonal section and an adjacent section of less cross sectional area than said polygonal section, a closer arm having a hub at one end thereof formed with a polygonal opening fitting said polygonal section of said shaft, a member normally straddling said adjacent section and locking said hub in position on said polygonal section, said member being attached to one of said brackets and bodily removable to permit said hub to be moved from said polygonal section to said adjacent section, in which latter position said hub may be turned on said shaft, and a coil spring attached to one end of said shaft for biasing said shaft and said closer arm' in a predetermined direction.

5. In a closer for refrigerator doors, a pair of spaced frame members, a coil spring extending between said frame members and anchored at one of its ends to one of said frame members, the other of said frame members having a pair of spaced brackets integral therewith, a short shaft extending between and journaled upon said brackets, said short shaft being connected at one of its ends to the other end of said coil spring, the portion of said shaft which extends between said spaced brackets comprising two sections, one having a larger transverse dimension than the other, a closer arm having an apertinted hubat one end thereof, 'said hubxbeing disposed about said shaft intermediate said brackets and having'an interlocking connection within its apertured hub with said shaft section 'of larger transverse dimension so as to prevent relative rotation'o'f said arm and shaft, and a collar normally positioned about said other sec said arm is disposed in aioaszr being removable to permit said hub to be moved on to said other. section in which position the arm may be rotated relative to, said'shaft to effect angular adjustmentin the position of said arm on said shaft, said interlocking connection between said'shaft. section and hub being re; 7 engageable in angularlyadjusted position of, said 7 arm relative to said shaft, thereby to permit adjustment of the force of said spring when predetermined position. ,10 WILLIAM J. 

